Teach students strategies for unlocking unknown words all by themselves.

Boost "word consciousness" so students can apply their knowledge across all learning experiences.

Prepare students for high-stakes tests with systematic word instruction and exploration.

A Critical Finding: Untended, the Gap Only Widens

GRADE

AVERAGE STUDENT(At 2.4 Root Words Per Day)

BOTTOM 25%(At 1.6 Root Words Per Day)

End of Pre-K

3,400

2,400

End of K

4,300

3,016

End of Grade 1

5,160

3,592

End of Grade 2

6,020

4,168

The bottom 25 percent of students begin Kindergarten with 1,000 fewer root-word meanings than average students.

Diamond and Gutlohn, Vocabulary Handbook, CORE: 2006, p. 9

"One reason teachers are concerned about teaching vocabulary is to facilitate the comprehension of a text that students will be assigned to read. If students do not know the meaning of many of the words that they will encounter in a text, their comprehension of that selection is likely to be compromised." — John J. Pikulski and Shane Templeton, 2004